Politics with a side of caviar: Obama welcomes Hollande at state dinner

By Halimah Abdullah and Dana Ford, CNN

Updated 8:46 AM ET, Wed February 12, 2014

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Photos:French President visits America

French President visits America – U.S. President Barack Obama escorts French President Francois Hollande for a review of the honor guard during a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday, February 11. Hollande's three-day state visit is designed to underscore historic ties and a burgeoning security relationship between America and its oldest ally.

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Photos:French President visits America

French President visits America – Obama and Hollande review troops on the South Lawn of the White House on February 11. The two leaders were scheduled to hold bilateral meetings and a joint news conference before an official state dinner later in the day.

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French President visits America – Obama and Hollande greet guests during welcoming ceremonies on February 11.

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French President visits America – Hollande pauses as Obama laughs during the official welcome ceremony on the South Lawn.

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French President visits America – A wider view of the welcoming ceremony.

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French President visits America – Obama, Hollande and first lady Michelle Obama wave from a White House balcony on February 11.

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French President visits America – Obama and Hollande hold a news conference on February 11.

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French President visits America – Obama shakes hands with Hollande after their news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington.

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French President visits America – Hollande, with U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Maj. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan, commander of the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. 2014 marks the 70th anniversary of the Allied Forces D-Day landing in Normandy, which helped lead to the liberation of France and the European continent.

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French President visits America – Hollande poses for a photo with members of the audience at the Fort Myer Officers' Club on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.

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French President visits America – The President and the first lady pose with Hollande as he arrives for the state dinner at the North Portico of the White House.

The main event was held in a tent on the South Lawn of the White House.

"We Americans have grown to love all things French -- the films, the food, the wine -- especially the wine. But most of all we love our French friends because we've stood together for our freedom for more than 200 years," President Obama said at dinner.

Attendees munched on four courses of American-grown haute cuisine: osetra caviar and quail eggs, a winter salad "served in a wonderful glass bowl to make it look like a terrarium," Colorado-raised beef and a chocolate dessert sourced from Obama's native Hawaii.

Before the dinner, the White House released the names and vintages of the wines poured at each course -- a change from the last few state dinners, which listed only "American" bottles lest the price shock taxpayers. Reds from California and Washington State and a sparking wine from Virginia were the selections. None retail for more than $50 a bottle.

It all sounds very fancy -- and it is -- but state dinners aren't just about pomp and pageantry, according to the White House. Real work gets done.

"Behind the festive exterior of the social scene, the important business of government goes on -- information is gathered -- opinions exchanged -- powerful connections made and appearances upheld. For these reasons White House invitations are the most important and the most sought after in the nation's social whirl," the White House website says.

Obama and Hollande are in the midst of a diplomatic bromance as they face international challenges that include the Syrian civil war, Iran's nuclear ambitions and economic malaise in Europe.

A socialist elected in 2012, Hollande arrived alone for the dinner after revelations in France of an affair with an actress and the subsequent end of his longtime relationship with Valerie Trierweiler, who was considered the equivalent of the French first lady even though the two weren't married.

It's not the first time a French president has come to Washington alone. Hollande's predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy, attended a formal dinner at the White House shortly after announcing his split from his previous wife.